


A New Age

by zorradesombra (Chessgrins)



Series: A Little Witchcraft [2]
Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chessgrins/pseuds/zorradesombra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second installment of Things That Go Bump in the Night. If you didn't read the first part, you will probably not get when and where this one is jumping off. This story takes place several years after the end of the first part. Fear not, gaps will get filled in as I go</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Academy

**Author's Note:**

> Again, if you have not read the first installment, you really need to before forging ahead. Enjoy!
> 
> I do not own Twilight, I just play with the characters.

**BELLA**

 

            Once the Volturi were taken care of, my team decided to retire. Don’t get me wrong, Jen, Dakota, and I really love hunting. We just decided that a new direction was needed. The Council decided that a school was needed, so The Academy was born. Jen is headmaster. Dakota teaches psychic courses. I teach combat and self-defense. We love our jobs. We work with new witches too, only in an advisor role. Others join us on the faculty from across the immortal board. Any and every immortal can come to The Academy at any time. It’s a wonder that no one thought of this before, really. It just makes good sense to me.

            I love my work. I love it a lot. Who knew that teaching would be my real passion in life? The trainees are of various ages for now, but I think they will tend to get younger as the programs continue. In our classes, we have different types of immortals. The whole thing is just a little weird though. Learning to work with other immortals is easy, but working under Jen is something that I haven’t had to do in a long time. Her standards are high. While that is good, it is somewhat difficult to live up to them. I guess it’s all for the students. You know, and excellent education is vital for some of them to be able to handle their powers.

            Today’s lesson is all about defense. I asked Jasper to help me out. Actually, he’s the other combat teacher. We often do combined classes for certain units. This one is a good one because we can work with each other on various levels to suite the different classes needs. The students are looking forward to this unit. Apparently they think that this simple demonstration will provide them with an opportunity to see who is the toughest. Little do they know that defense has little to do with how tough someone is… Oh well, a few face plants on the mats will teach them that better than any lecture. That part will be very fun.

            I walk down the hallway. Edward comes up and takes my hand in his. I smile up at him and he gives me my favorite crooked smile. If someone would have told me that Edward and I would have made it to this point when we first reunited, then I would have doubted their sanity. I mean, I loved Edward and he loved me, but we just weren’t ready then. It took awhile, but we got to know and trust each other again. I’m really happy that it all worked out in a fairytale ending kind of way. It’s cheesy in a warm, fuzzy kind of feeling. It’s just great.

            We walk to the next room that I will teach in. This really takes me back to high school, only this time we are in a healthy relationship. We get to the door and see that Alice also walked Jasper here. We all exchange smiles and then promptly go back in to our own little worlds. Edward leans in. My breath catches. There is that special grin that’s just for me. Then he kisses me. I melt into him and his grip tightens making me meld to him even more. The kiss deepens. Snickering brings us back to the Academy. That blush that hid for over 50 years comes back in flaming form. Edward just looks into my eyes. His eyes are smoldering. This though would have to wait until we get home.

            I turn to go into the classroom. Jasper and I share a more embarrassed grin with each other. That’s when it hit me. He and Alice were similarly occupied when that group of students walked by. I can’t hold in a chuckle at that. Jasper elbows me lightly and we head to the front of the room. Jasper and I are really close friends this time around. We also work well together. Come to think of it, the entire Cullen family and I get along much better now. Rosalie and I even get along. I am not talking just toleration. The two of us are known to do stuff by ourselves.

            “Alright, as you may have noticed, we are having a joint class today,” I announce once the start time came by.

            “We will start by giving you a demonstration and then you will all pair off and practice the basic move before we go around and demonstrate more moves,” Jasper adds in.

            “That means that you only practice the move we tell you too. This is the first lesson and we would like to hold off on any real injuries until at least halfway through the unit. If I see anyone just fooling around trying to show off, I will make sure that that all those involved in _any_ way will regret it. They will regret it a lot,” I eye every student as I say.

            “On that note, please observe. This is a simple attack, but it does get a lot of miles,” Jasper transitions into the lesson.

            The students make a circle to see. Jasper leans low and launches himself at me. I easily jump over him and land lightly behind him. We both straighten up.

            “Um, excuse me but what if we can’t do that?” a small voice rings out.

            “Every immortal has the ability to jump like that, stupid,” a boy with a permanent sneer replied.

            “That is enough Robbie,” Jasper chastises the boy.

            “Now, you will need to practice this move, but you will have the ability to pull it off, if not the confidence,” I answer the tiny siren that asked the question.

            The students pair off and start attempting to mimic the maneuver. More than a few fall on their butts or faces. I head over to the timid siren. She is hesitant, but working through the jump much better than most of the other students. I give her an encouraging smile and move on. Jasper patiently shows a couple of students how to land better. The class period flies by.

            Jasper and I gather our materials and head back to our normal classrooms. I pass Edward on my way. He winks at me. I respond by pinching his ass and giggling as he jumps. I speed away before Edward can retaliate. I can hear his chuckle as he heads towards his own classroom. I might have to pay for that later, but it was completely worth it.

            Lunch rolls around and I meet up with my friends in the lounge. Members of the  Cullen family do not eat now, of course. Jen and Eliot share homemade pasta and sauce. Dakota and Nathaniel have gone vegan for some reason, but I can’t hold that against them. I eat a sandwich that Edward made for me before I got up. He is just thoughtful that way. We all chat and laugh like kids. All too soon lunch has ended and we all head off again.

            Sarah is due to come back from her sabbatical in another week. Sarah, Eli, and Jamie are the music department. This is their last tour. Despite any wishes from their fans, retirement is what they all want. Eli wants to stay close to Leah at all times because, surprise of surprises, the wolf is pregnant. With a litter, actually. They are expecting triplets.


	2. The Hospital

**CARLISLE**

 

            Since the day the Volturi’e reign ended, the Council has tried to get me to be the vampire representative. I decline every time because I am a rarity amongst my kind. Vampires should have a representative that is like the majority. Instead, I started this hospital. It is the first, and so far only, immortal hospital. The staff consists of any immortal that wants to be here. There are Healers, of course, like Nathaniel. Nathaniel teaches basic and battle first aide at the Academy. Bethany, however, is very diligent. She is a hard worker and probably the most versatile of all my staffers. That will change though. As more time passes the more people will learn. Thus far, each type of immortal typically handled things in house with the exception of Hunters and the Council. The Council calls the hospital an experiment. I hope it is successful, but there those who are rightfully skeptical.

            “Don’t forget about the meeting, dear,” my beloved wife sticks her head through my office door to remind me.

            “I will not forget,” I assure her with a smile.

            I shake myself out of my thoughts and gather a few folders. I have a couple of patients to see before the meeting. There is a siren with a throat condition that needs a diagnosis. I asked Nathaniel for a consult after school was dismissed. I am a little out to sea. There was a long period that I just researched, but I learn better by doing, so I decided to open before I considered myself an expert.

 

 

**BELLA**

 

            On my way to my last class for the day, I come across a fight in the hallway. Normally, I would find it odd that the shy, tiny siren decided to ‘discuss’ the incident in class with the smartass who basically called her an idiot. This time, however, I am not. Aria is a small ball of pure fury when she is feeling bullied. The poor kid probably had it coming to him, but I can’t just let the fight continue. The result is that I step in and break it up. But before the students actually back off, a crack is heard as Aria uses the opportunity to land one more blow in the confusion. Edward materializes out of no where and grabs the boy. I grab hold of Aria’s arm before she can slink away.

            “He needs to go see Carlisle,” Edward says after looking at the injury.

            “She needs to see me,” Jen says as she walks towards us.

            “Good thing the hospital is in this compound,” I comment. Since immortals require secrecy, the ideal location for the Academy, the new hospital, and the Council building were in the same complex in a secret locale.

            Edward rushes off with the boy in tow. I hand Aria over to Jen and head off to tell Edward’s class that they are in with mine. I bet Edward was planning on using this break in classes to retaliate for the smack I gave his ass earlier. A grin spreads across my face at the thought. Guess he will just have to wait until later then.

 

**EDWARD**

 

            The day started of very well and progressed in the same manner. Sure, Bella was a bit playful, but that’s just…fantastic, honestly. Then the fight came about. Bella handled herself like the professional she is. I only stepped in because the boy was falling to the ground while she was going for Aria. Now I get a chance to see my father too. Normally that is not too bad, but I had hoped to have more time to play with Bella in the halls. She had smacked my ass and I wanted to retaliate. Oh, well, even the best laid plans go awry.

            The boy is not really as tough as he tries convincing others that he is. He passed out once we were out of the Academy. I carry him to Carlisle’s office just in time to see him leaving it.

            “Carlisle, as you can see there was an incident,” I greet him.

            “Well, I need to check a couple patients, but I can spare a bit to check him over,” Carlisle leads us to admissions for a room assignment.

            The boy makes all sorts of pitiful sounds. If a dog made those sounds, it would have to be put down. Shaking my head I continue to carry him after Carlisle. My adoptive father’s thoughts mirror my own only as he holds in his responding chuckles. I have problems with my own humor bubbling forth. I’m sure the child would not find the humor in this situation. I mean, he did get his ass handed to him by a tiny, tiny siren girl not even thirty minutes ago. Carlisle wastes no time in patching up the broken nose and we are sent back to the Academy before the class period is even over.

 

**CARLISLE**

 

            It’s a good thing that I made sure to have spare time before the meeting, not like they could really start it without me. I am the head of the hospital, after all. Anyway, the boy just had a broken nose. He clearly could not handle the sight of his own blood, though. I patch him up and send him back with Edward.

            The two set back off towards the Academy and I look for my dear wife. She is the head nurse here. Her favorite place to be is in the maternity ward. Witches and female vampires can’t carry children, but basically every other type of immortal can. Leah is of particular interest. There are no records to indicate that a wolf can have children while they still change. Leah will change for the rest of her very long life so that she can be with her husband Eli who is immortal regardless of whether he ever uses his powers again. They are a pair. Esme and I discuss the care that Leah will need when she and Eli get here. Special attention is needed so that we know how to better help her, or any other female wolf, next time they are pregnant.

            Once that is all finished, I make my rounds before heading to the meeting room. This meeting’s topic is about structuring the hospital to better fit our needs. This might be a bit dry, but it is necessary for us to better serve the immortal community. My staff wants to be as helpful as they can be in our mission statement, so that is good.

            We all sit down at a long table to have the meeting. Everyone seems nervous. This is a regular staff meeting, not the principal’s office. They are acting like they did something wrong and are in trouble for it. We are an inexperienced hospital, to be sure, but we are doing rather well regardless. I know we will be at the cutting edge one day. I just hope that day comes quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	3. The Council

**JAKE**

 

            “I’m done. This whole ‘Council’ thing is just too painful to deal with,” I huff as I collapse on the couch.

            “I might be able to take you more seriously if you did not say that every single day when you get home,” Nessie laughs as she says.

            “I can’t help it that my job is awful,” I pout. I had hoped that my own wife would show me a little sympathy.

            “My dear, you chose this position because you are the alpha. Who better to speak for the wolves than their leader?” Nessie makes her point. She has this annoying habit of making completely valid points.

            “Why must you pop my bubble? I just don’t see why I have to put up with all this politicking. I’m a straightforward kinda guy and I don’t care for all these alliances that are being forged in secret,” I explain.

            “I know, sweetheart. But you are doing the right thing and you know it,” she says as she rubs my arm.

            “Doing the right thing is painful,” I whine.

            “Not always,” my wife shakes her head at me.

            Nessie is right. Doing the right thing is not always painful. To be fair, I did volunteer myself for this one. Once the Volturi corked it, it was like a new age had begun. The Council offered seats for a representative from the vampire population and to my tribe. We had talked it over as a tribe. It was decided that the pack had a more vested interest in the matter. So there had to be a pack meeting. That one was long, but really helpful. We all talked and talked. There was a lot to consider. Everyone thought that I would be a good choice, but I am the alpha. My leaving could have had a bad effect. How could the pack remain whole with one of it so far away, especially if that one is their leader? But I had to decide for myself to come. I knew that I had to be the one to represent the best interests of my pack. Imagine my surprise when the pack decided to move with me.

            Eventually, I had to send them all back. We were there for the protection of our tribe after all. How can the pack do that if all of it is on a different continent? It took a lot of convincing, but they all headed home. My beta is in charge while I am gone. At first that position was held by Leah. But then she found love and chased after it. Now her brother, Seth, holds the position. He can be a little rambunctious, but all in all he’s a good kid.

            “Did they get to their grandfather’s alright?” I suddenly remember to ask.

            “All six of our litter talked to me upon their arrival. My father is looking forward to the few weeks they can stay,” Nessie assures me before getting up to finish dinner.

            I am a father six times over. They were all born at the same time. It would seem that when you combine wolf DNA with wood nymph DNA litters really are the norm. There are four boys and two girls. Three of them are wood nymphs, like their amazing mother. The other three take after me. Well, we think that they take after me. They are human now. When they hit the right age we expect them to change into wolves like I did. But I suppose we won’t really know until then. Carlisle is very excited to study our children. He says that they present him with new data to have on new species. He’s kind of like a kid that has run in a candy store when it comes to his medical research.

            Nessie and I eat dinner and then later we have ‘dessert’ in our bedroom. With six kids underfoot, there is usually little time to be intimate anymore. But we will miss the interruptions as they grow older I am sure. At least that is what I keep hearing from parents who have gone through the whole process. There are so many little steps along the way to enjoy or be annoyed at along the way.

 

            Today is just as bad as yesterday. I am tired of hearing about budgets. I know that they are important to the running of the Council and the support of the Academy and Carlisle’s new hospital. That knowledge does not make the endless discussion any easier to sit through. Every single time I think we have a budget that will pass, one representative finds a problem or a program that they think deserves more funding. Then the whole process has to start all over again. What did I ever do to deserve this special kind of hell? I guess I will just have to suffer through it. Being here, I realize that I would not wish this so called experience on any wolf in the pack. That only leaves me…lucky me.

            At least I get to hang out with the whole gang on holidays. We all get together, because even though we are not actually related we are still a family, at every single holiday. The location rotates houses. It’s always a huge deal. The girls spend days getting ready. It’s really just one big blur of preparation. Decorations of all kinds fly through the air. We guys get drafted to put up the decorations deemed good enough by the slightly scary version of our wives that take over. Then we are forbidden to go anywhere near the kitchen for the duration of the food preparation. I mean it might be better to not even go into the house. I tried to sneak a taste and almost got my arm ripped off by my own wife. Who knows what would have happened if Rosalie had been the one to catch me? Or what if it had been Bella? Bella’s punishment would be less physically painful, but probably more scarring. As it was I had to go without pants until dinner, much to all the kids’ amusement.

            Suddenly another call for a vote brings me out of my thoughts. I probably should have been paying closer attention. Looking at the proposal on the board, I realize that there is very little difference in the previous one. Like clockwork, a representative calls for another inquiry about the budget. This time the culprit is a flower nymph. I feel a little bad for the guy. Sure his abilities are kick-ass, but everyone thinks he is gay. Poor guy has not had a date in years. That is not for trying. He has really tried to put himself out there. But stereotypes and pre-conceived ideas are hard to battle. And I have once again zoned out. As painful as it is, I need to pay attention so that I can vote appropriately when we actually make it to a vote.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for Reading! Review if you please!


	4. Ill Tidings

**BELLA**

            Jen wants to see me. This could be bad. She did pull me out of my last class for our chat. I hurry down the hall and show up at her door as quickly as I can. I don’t even knock. I just barge in. Mary Beth is sitting there and Dakota is there too. Uh, definitely not a good sign. They both smile at me. I smile back but still have a concerned look on my face.

            “You are not wrong. There is a matter of concern that brings me here, I am sad to say,” Mary Beth informs me. I sit down in another chair and both Jen and I look at our friend the oracle.

            “Well?” Jen asks when she gets a little impatient.

            “I wanted you both here because it concerns your team…” the oracle starts.

            “But our team is retired so that we could all teach here,” Dakota interrupts.

            “Not exactly, you see, the team can still be activated in time of emergency or great need. This mission is of particular interest to you all, but especially Jen. The witch community has discovered a bit of a loop hole in the curse that Jen’s mother laid upon them with Jen’s birth. It would seem that they caught wise to two options to rectify the situation,” Mary Beth begins again.

            “It sure took them long enough to get to this point,” Jen comments somewhat bitterly.

            “Wait, wait, wait. You knew there was a chance that that could have been changed and you didn’t mention anything about it?” I ask. I can’t believe she never mentioned anything. We have talked about children and all three of us would like to have kids someday, even though it was not possible.

            “She knew, but she could not say anything. Both of the actual options for the so called removing of the curse are unsavory. There is the possibility of going back in time and stopping the actions that lead up to the curse from happening. Now that one could mean a few things, but the most likely is that Jen’s mom will not survive or possibly even be born…” the oracle explains.

            “Which would mean that Jen would not be born and things would be very different than what they are now,” I say.

            “In a very bad way,” Dakota adds.

            “Thanks guys, but that is not the biggest problem. That problem would be that the Witch community would be in power over the immortal world. Then they would take over the human world. It would be one giant pile of shit,” Jen explains.

            “What’s the other option?” I don’t really want to know, but I had to ask.

            “The other one involves the death of the family line. Since Jen is a witch by blood her power is not just hers, it is her family’s power too. That means that that kind of witch is more powerful because they have access to more power. With Jen’s mom going rogue and Jen being Jen, those kind of witches tone down their antics to keep from drawing unwanted attention personally and reaping the consequences of their actions. If Jen and her mother, the two with the will to keep the curse in place, were to meet their end and the part of the family magic that they accessed purged from the rest, then the curse would be lifted,” Mary Beth answered.

            “Which brings us back to the end of civilization as we know it,” Jen adds.

            “Fantastic,” I can’t help but say.

            “The real question is, what are we going to do about it?” Dakota asks what we were all thinking.

            “It needs to be handled in a way that your team does well, discreetly. The council does not want the entire witch community to catch wind and try to unite. As of now, only a couple of families are looking into the matter still. Your team comes with a reputation that makes those you go against not look for help or not get any help. The thing is, you might need a large group, like last time, because you really need to make it look like you are still just teachers here,” Mary Beth informs us.

            “We need to do that in order to keep our cover, I take it. Well, Elliot is always up for helping us. Sarah’s group will probably be in too…” Jen starts listing.

            “Let’s not forget the Cullen family,” I add.

            “And the pack and a bunch of others,” Dakota adds her own input.

            “If enough of us end up agreeing to this, then we can rotate and have pairs or small groups go. But we would have to be very careful to not send the same pair or group twice,” Jen goes right into strategy.

            “I knew that you would jump right into this,” Mary Beth comments.

            “Like it would take your powers to know that,” Jen rolls her eyes.

            “I have to be off, but I will see you soon,” Mary Beth says as she leaves.

            The three of us sit around and talk about what we need to plan and how we will keep organized to the point of being ridiculous. Then we tackle the subject of asking the others. We figured that it would be best to ask them in small groups and not at once. Alice alone would break the sound barrier. After what seemed like moments, a knock came at Jen’s office door. We all start and then laugh at our reaction to the unexpected sound. We all go to the door together because we know who is on the other side. And of course, everyone that we worked with when we finished off the Volturi, to include that bouncy little Sara, is looking at us like we were trying to sneak off.

            “We want in,” Emmett blurts out. I love Emmett for his lack of control, I mean who doesn’t?

            “You don’t know what we were talking about,” Jen points out with a grin.

            “It doesn’t matter, we want in,” Jake adds his voice.

            “Why are you even here? Don’t you have a meeting today?” I ask him.

            “Alice called everyone that was not in the Academy because she saw you running here,” he is just a little smug about having a completely plausible answer. I did go past the room she was teaching in.

            “It could be dangerous,” Dakota says.

            “It could be trivial,” Jen adds.

            “It could be embarrassing,” I tell them. They all just look at us like that is going to make us spill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	5. Grapevine

**ALICE**

 

            My class is going well. I just wish that seeing wasn’t species sensitive. In the vampire world, there are very few with psychic abilities. Even among that small group, no one’s powers are as developed as mine. But visions are visions. Every Seer has to deal with certain things across the board. Getting a vision, interpreting the vision, and the moments you are vulnerable during the vision are a few examples of things that every species has to deal with. Today’s lesson is in interpreting visions. Some species have very symbolic visions. That is very different from my visions, which are literal images. Dakota is teaching with me for awhile before she gets summoned to Jen’s office.

            While I am going to another student to have them try and explain their vision, I happen to look up. Bella runs past the door. Hmm, she is heading towards Jen’s office and it is during one of her classes. Dakota was already sent for too. That cannot be a good thing. I will ask one of them about the matter during the class break.

            Another class goes by and Dakota and Bella have yet to leave Jen’s office. That’s it. Something is definitely wrong. I need to tell the others. Those three aren’t alone on a team anymore. We all want to be there for them…

 

**JASPER**

 

            A small pair of hands drags me into a deserted room as I walk through the hallway. Alice sometimes likes to play around, but that is not the case now. She is anxious. That concerns me. She is not often anxious, being able to see the future more or less. In a hushed tone she explains her concerns. This is not a good sign at all. My wife was right to come to me. The others must know, but the students should not be suspicious. I agree to go around and catch Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and the others that teach here. Alice will get hold of those who work elsewhere.

            Alice starts to leave the room, but I catch her hand. There are still a few minutes to spare. She looks up at me and smiles. She saw what I intend to do. I lean in and our lips just brush. I return her smile. Impatience overtakes my beautiful wife and she pulls me to her mouth. I love the feel of her hands in my hair. I pull her to where her body molds to mine. A delicious sound that is close to a purr escapes her mouth. I moan in response. Our tongues dance to a rhythm that only we know. All too soon, we have to break our contact and head to our separate classes.

 

**EDWARD**

 

            Jasper catches up to me on my way to my next class. He seems to be running late. The image of him and Alice makes me smile. If my brother could blush, I’m sure he would. Recovering, he thinks about what happened before the kiss. This is troubling. Bella rarely runs anywhere since she retired from Hunting. She always says it will be there when she gets there regardless. The only real exceptions to that are when we run together. Jasper nods at me and I return the nod to show that I understand. He swiftly moves on so that he is not late to teach his class.

            Those three have been in that office since the first class of the day. My class is working on independent compositions this whole week, which is good because I am distracted with my own thoughts. I want Bella to be absolutely sure that I am here for her. Okay, she probably knows that already, but it is important that I show her anyway.

 

**EMMETT**

 

            I really owe Jen. She gave Rosalie and me the same free period. This has lead to many a use of vacant rooms and closets…and unintended use of the teacher’s lounge. Today is no exception. We meet in the hallway and start to head for that very lounge. Rose can’t make it to the corner before she pins me against the wall. The passion is amazing. Somehow we manage to keep moving while our tongues battle for dominance.

            “Come on guys, can’t you even make it to a place where the younger students won’t see you?” Jasper interrupts us.

            “Hey, my girl is hot,” I say and then go back to kissing my Rose.

            “Aside from the fact that your lust is hitting every, single empathy in this complex, I actually have a matter of concern,” my soon to be beaten brother says. Rose pushes off of me and looks at him. I growl a bit and then look at him too.

            “What’s that matter Jazz?” Rosalie asks him.

            He launches into what’s going on and my annoyance is gone. This could be trouble.

 

**CARLISLE**

 

            “Alice called,” Esme says as she enters my office. The comment breaks through my concentration.

            “The matter could not wait until we got home?” I ask my beloved.

            “It would seem not. Bella, Dakota, and Jen have been barricaded in Jen’s office since the first class period today,” she informs me. A quick glance at the clock tells me that it is after lunch.

            “That is disconcerting. We should hand off what we have today and go over there,” I say as I gather my charts. Bethany is capable enough to handle things for the rest of today.

            “I would feel better if we did,” Esme admits as she follows me out of my office to arrange things.

 

  **JAKE**

 

            Nessie rushes into my office just as I start towards the door.

            “Hey, babe, what’s the hurry? I’ll be gone forever at that meeting,” I greet her.

            “You should blow off the meeting,” my wife surprises me by saying.

            “As sexy as it is to hear those words come out of your perfect mouth, I don’t think you have in mind what I think you have in mind,” I say cautiously. She whacks my shoulder playfully and shakes her head. Nope, not here for a little afternoon delight.

            “Will you please at least try to pull your mind out of the gutter? I swear you are spending _way_ too much time with Emmett,” she rolls her eyes.

            “Sorry, what is it that you want me to skip the painful meeting for?” I laugh.

            “Alice called me. Dakota, Bella, and Jen have been in Jen’s office practically all day,” Nessie informs me.

            Hmm, this is bad. They should all be heading for home by now. Instead of just blowing it off like I wanted to do, I pull in my aide and tell them to go in my place and take careful notes for me. Then Nessie and I head over to meet with the others and tell those three that we want in. We join the crown outside the office door. After a few moments no on knocks on the door. Patience is not a virtue I have in abundance. I muscle my way to the front and knock at the same time Emmett does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	6. Antics Ensue

**BELLA**

 

            “Worst idea ever,” Dakota huffs as she flops down on a couch in the safe house we are currently using to scheme in.

            “Not enjoying having more input on our planning sessions?” Jen smiles at her.

            “I have to side with Dakota on this one. Those boys are a menace. And they all feed off of each other,” I answer for Dakota.

            Jen laughed and it was not long before Dakota and I join in. The others are making hard to plan. Especially since Emmett and Jake are like three year olds. Okay, those two are way hilarious, but seriously we need to work. It all started with Monopoly pieces. The boys had set up a life-sized board in the room we were using. Giant pieces were all set up. Man, Jake sure loves that game. I’m not sure how Emmett feels about it though, he just loves to prank.  Who even knows how they pulled it off? All I know is that I thought it was great. Jen agreed with me. We laughed so hard that we almost wet ourselves. Nessie and Rosalie were not as amused, which only made it better.

            The next step involved a giant clue game set up in the front yard. That was almost as impressive. What made it better was the reaction that they got from Nessie and Rosalie. Both of the boys quaked in their boots only to have their wives not react at all. Emmett and Jake looked like they had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. All that sneaking and worrying was for nothing. That might have been the best part of the whole thing.

            After they turned the garden into a chessboard to rival the one in that Harry Potter movie, they moved on to basic and childish pranks. Things like putting plastic wrap on the toilet seat or filling all the cereal boxes with packing peanuts.  We decided that we would retaliate. Prank wars are something of a specialty of Jen, Dakota, and me. We don’t play to get even though, we play to win. Winning is not much unless it is big. So, we enchanted all of their furniture to make it stick to ceiling so that their room looked upside down when they walked in.

            The virtually endless possibilities dawned on the boys, but they are way behind us in terms of creativity. They tried over and over again to top us. Things might have gotten out of hand to the tune of wasting time. This is not helpful to the whole situation. Can’t we just focus on the issue at hand? Apparently not as whenever we go to plan the boys take that as their opportunity to go for a new prank. It was cute in a toddler kind of way. It’s kind of amazing that Jen is not freaking out over the whole thing.

            “Come on, if you really want to get to work, then we have to do something about it,” Jen interrupts my musings.

            “I think that would be best. Goofing off is good every now and then, but we need to figure out how to protect you and your mom,” I agree.

            “I think the best place to start would be the boys,” Dakota sighs.

            We all head to talk to the boys. Yeah…the result is not what I was expecting. I hoped that they would see that we need to get to work. Apparently that hope was in vain. What was I even thinking? Those two just wanted to say we were giving up. They said that like we were the ones that could not compete with them. Puh-lease. Well, with talk like that, how could we resist? Jen and I cursed Emmett and Jacob so that every prank they attempt from here on out will backfire. Okay, it is a little sadistic, but come on. Those two were begging for it. Of course we are not going to warn them, what would be the fun in that?

            Carlisle, however, deserves a heads up. He’ll be expected to patch them up as they need it. Dakota and I have to head back to our classes. Jen goes to the hospital to catch the good doctor and explain the situation to him.

            Edward catches my hand on my way down the hall. I turn to look at him. Bad move. I get a little lost in his eyes. He moves in closer and now I am really lost.

            “Hey,” he greets me with my favorite crooked grin.

            “Hey,” I respond, sounding about as dazed as I am.

            “I missed you,” he says as he leans in and takes me in his arms. I struggle to gain some sort of brain functions.

            “I missed you too. Now we need to go mold young minds,” I gain a little thought power. Last time I checked one needed oxygen to think. I take a shaky breathe. Edward does not chuckle like he sometimes does. It would seem my proximity is affecting him too.

            “If we must,” he smiles down at me.

            Edward swears that he can still catch a whiff of my scent every now and then. I used to think that was ridiculous until one day Nathaniel heard Edward say it. Nathaniel seemed to think it was possible in a way. He said that when a witch loves someone, that sometimes their magic will do little things for that person. I don’t actually have a scent, but sometimes my magic makes Edward smell it because he loves that scent. I guess it is what brought us together in high school. Maybe that is what is distracting him. Lucky for me, because now I can make my exit otherwise I would be standing here, in his strong arms, all day long. Who am I kidding? I would happily stay in his arms for all of eternity. Not that he would mind that scenario either.

            “What are you smirking at?” Edward breaks through my thoughts. I would totally be blushing if I blushed anymore.

            “That is for me to know and you to find out,” I reply as I slip out of his grasp and run down the hallway laughing. He stands there a bit and then takes off after me. I get to my classroom and close the door in his face. That look is priceless. I head to the front of the room and begin my lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	7. An Actual Plan

**BELLA**

 

            “ARE YOU SERIOUS?! TELL ME THAT YOU ARE NOT SERIOUS!” Edward explodes all over the place.

            “Edward, shouting never solved anything,” I roll my eyes and shake my head at him.

            “Just ask the Queen of Hearts,” Dakota adds.

            “Alice in Wonderland?” Rosalie asks.

            “We are a wealth of random knowledge,” Jen answers.

            “Could we possibly get back to the subject at hand now?” Edward demands. He is throwing such a tantrum.

            “Calm down, Edward. We have done things that are a lot more dangerous,” Dakota tries to soothe his feelings.

            “And when it comes down to it, it is my choice,” I add. I have had enough. He has been there when we have done worse. I would have thought he would have learned his lesson by now.        

            “But…” he starts to whine a little.

            “Look, I love you, but you have to see that this affects all of us. We need to take care of it,” I interrupt him.

            “Then let me go too,” he pleads.

            “Edward, think about this. That arrangement did not work out,” Alice tries reason.

            “Besides, time travel is extremely finicky. Witches are really the only type of immortal to be able to work with it,” Jen informs him.

            “And even then, most witches that attempt it meet their fate,” Dakota adds for good measure.

            “Can’t you just go back to before they had the idea and stop that from happening?” Emmett booms across the room.

            “No Emmett, then we would have no reason to go back and they would still have the idea in that timeline,” Jen patiently explains. The workings of time travel are complicated and often seem weird until you think them through.

            “They have no idea that we know, so this plan is very solid,” I assure my still slightly irate husband. Edward continues to pout.

            “Vampires cannot defend themselves against magic. I would have thought you would remember that because of the whole Volturi thing,” Jen comments.

            “This is really the best way, Edward. They can’t run around indefinitely defending themselves in the present and the past,” Carlisle takes our side. Edward looks oh-so-thrilled to hear his father say that.

            I’ll admit it, our plan is risky. But we can’t sit around and let the witches take over everything again. Going back and taking care of those who do the same is the only way that we won’t have to quit our lives to be on our guard. Jen’s mom wants to come with us. It did not take long to find her this time around. Apparently Mary Beth paid her a visit to explain everything to her. Jen does not know how that will work out. Her concerns are valid. Bad things happen to those who deal with time travel. All sorts of things can and do go wrong. The tiniest details can have life-altering effects. Say some scientist saw some random tiny thing that inspired them. If that thing did not happen, then the scientist would not invent whatever they were supposed to. Then there is the whole what if you were supposed to go back and change something thing. It’s just one giant headache.

            “I still want to go,” Edward stands his ground. In another circumstance, I would find that way cute. But now it is just foolish.

            “There is no way that you are going with us,” I state firmly. We stare each other down a bit, neither willing to give in.

            I mean it. There is no way. Any harm that would come to him would be my fault. Now that was Edward’s voice that just jumped through the many years and popped into my head. I guess I can see his point of view better now. Not that that changes anything. I will not be moved. Suddenly Emmett’s booming laugh fills the room.

            “Not liking that taste of your own medicine brother?” he manages in between bouts of laughter. Everyone else tries to hide their amusement at this concept. Edward just scowls at us all.

            “Besides, everything will turn out fine,” Dakota assures him.

            “But you are going to the past, you can See the future,” my sulking husband points out.

            “We are going to the past in _our_ future,” Dakota rolls her eyes.

            “No visions of us dying?” Jen can’t help but ask the question we were both thinking.

            “There are always those during our missions, and this is no exception. You two always seem to get out of the situations you die in through some random and completely unforeseeable string of actions and decisions,” our Seer dismisses the questions.

            “Good, cause it would not be a real mission if you didn’t tell us we were going to die,” I add, much to Edward’s dismay.

            There is some more quibbling about the plan, mostly from Edward. The only surefire way for the curse to be lifted is to make it to where it never happened. Jen thinks that since her family feels like Jen’s mother is defective and would go for a mortal regardless of whether or not it was Jen’s dad, they will go for making sure that she either dies young or is never conceived. Dakota and I agree, so we are going to station ourselves at three different points in her mother’s youth. Fortunately, even though it is way weird, our telepathy is not affected by either time or space so we can keep into contact with each other and go to whenever and wherever we are needed. Eliot is going with her. Nathaniel is not leaving Dakota’s side. I’m going to be working with Bethany again. She wants to help out and already knows about our particular idiosyncrasies.

            “Can I ask what happened to your father?” Alice broaches the subject that every one of us has wanted to. Sadly it is also the very subject that Jen has never talked about…not even with Eliot.

            “I’m not sure, exactly. Mom always answers that he died when she cast the curse because her family was so enraged. She says that he was tortured until he drew his last breath. Mom says that a witch will hear the last few moments of their mate’s life even if they are on the other side of the world,” Jen starts.

            “But you don’t really buy her story?” Eliot looks concerned as he hold his wife’s hand.

            “I have just seen too much to think that it is true. My family still looks for him, though they try to be quiet and clever about it. Mom moves around so often that there has to be a reason. It’s not just that she used all of her magic because then she would just hide in plain sight, not basically become a traveling hermit. I just think that there is the possibility that he is still alive, even if I’m not sure exactly how that could happen,” Jen explains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	8. Clinging Husband

**BELLA**

            We have three more days of classes before the break. After the last class dismisses, we are going into action. There are still three whole days to spend together. So why is my husband acting like a toddler? He follows me everywhere, even waits outside the bathroom at school He waits inside the bathroom at home. That is just weird. He sits and watches me as often as he feels he can get away with it. To make matters worse, we have stopped having any kind of physical relationship. The idiot won’t even kiss me. He just wants to stare at me…all the time. I love Edward, but he is driving me nuts. I need my space sometimes, especially now that his behavior makes me want to hex the hell out of him to make him behave.

            “Bella?” Edward interrupts my thoughts. Man, speak of the devil and up he walks.

            “Yes, Edward?” I sigh. I know that I sound as frustrated as I am, but a girl wants to be kissed by her husband every so often. I would settle for holding hands.

            “Can’t I come with you?” he asks me for like the millionth time.

            “No Edward, you cannot,” I should just tattoo those words on my hand so that he can read them while I smack him repeatedly.

            “Why not? Don’t you trust me?” he wheedles at my resolve.

            “We have been over this so many times that I just don’t want to do it again,” I snap a little.

            “I thought you would have caved by now,” he sounds annoyed. He can’t hold a candle to the fiery fury that he is inducing in me.

            “I thought you would behave like some kind of adult about the whole thing,” I huff and turn to walk away. I have about had enough.

            “Come on, love,” he pleads.

            “Just leave me alone,” I sigh. He never takes a hint.

            Amazingly, he does not follow me. I stalk to Jen’s suite in this house. I hope she and Eliot are not currently making the most of their time together. Edward and I could be doing that right now, but no. He has to be ridiculous. I’m a woman on the edge…a very frustrated woman on the edge. How can he not even notice? And here I thought that vampires prided themselves on their ability to read others. It’s not like I’m being subtle. Growling I raise my hand to knock on Jen’s door.

            “Hey, Bella!” Alice surprises me. I guess I was a little tuned into my own thoughts because I did not notice her approach.

            “Hello, Alice,” I respond.

            “I had a vision about Edward,” she starts.

            “Are you really jumping right into the matter on your mind? That’s not very like you,” I tease her. There is no need for me to take my frustration out on her. It’s not  her fault that her brother is driving me completely crazy.

            “Well, I can’t see you. Therefore, I can’t see Edward because you are such a huge part of his life. But I had a vision that he was alone and completely broken,” she just states that like it is the whole issue.

            “Alice, what are you getting at?” I ask her.

            “I told Jasper to have a talk with Edward while I distracted you. I know you don’t want to leave him, but lately he has been rather…uh…toddler-like. He’s pushing you to your limit and you are trying not to hit the limit. Jasper is telling that idiot that if he does not chill out, you will leave him. Besides, a blind person could see that you are sexually frustrated,” she is so annoying when she is right.

            “I see, and you needed to distract me because…” I inquire.

            “Well, I didn’t want Jasper to feel like I was sending him to talk to Edward while I did nothing. Now, please head back and give the moron another chance,” she rolls her eyes at me.

            There is just no winning today. I turn and head back more because I did not want Alice to expand on her thoughts about my physical relationship with Edward. As if it wasn’t awkward enough that she sent Jasper to talk to Edward. A blur grabs me and hauls me back to the suite. I can’t believe Edward really just drug me back here. It would be a huge turn-on if I knew that he was going in that direction. Too bad he’s in a no contact part of his plan to make me take him with us to the past.

            “Don’t leave me,” he pleads.

            “I’m not planning on it,” I assure him. I really am not. I don’t know where Alice’s vision came from, but it sure wasn’t because of my intentions.

            “I’ll wait for you right here,” he caves.

            “Why do you have to shut me out?” I’m not sure I really want to know.

            “Is that why you are upset with me? I thought that you had hit your limit with me trying to convince you to take me too,” my husband sounds a bit amazed. I guess Jasper did not bring that part into his conversation with Edward.

            “Trying to trick me into letting you come or wear me down is just you, but you didn’t have to shut me out physically and emotionally,” I explain.

            “Oh,” is all he can say.

            “Don’t get me wrong, Edward. You have been behaving like a two year old that needs a nap. Would it have killed you to still hold my hand when we walk together?” I let out a bit of my frustration.

            “I’m really sorry,” he says as he wraps his arms around me.

            “You still can’t come,” I inform him.

            “I know,” he sighs.

            “I love you, even though you are sometimes an idiot,” I whisper and bury my face in his chest. As girly as it sounds, I still feel better when he holds me.

            “I love you too,” he tells me as he scoops me up and carries me to our bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	9. You Slay Me

**BELLA**

 

            Well, at least Edward is not acting like an idiot anymore. Sure, he tried up until this morning to get me to let him tag along. At least he’s not going to stop me. Hmm, Mary Beth is talking with Jen again. I hope that means something good. To be fair, sometimes it is something good that the oracle has to share. Sadly, those times do not usually come right before we go on a mission. I walk towards them.

            “Hey, Bella,” Mary Beth greets me with a smile.

            “What’s going on?” I have to ask before anything else comes out of my mouth.

            “Way to exercise patience,” Jen rolls her eyes.

            “That’s fine, if she held it in then it would not be Bella,” Mary Beth asks.

            “Well?” I press the issue because they don’t seem to be answering me. They exchange a look.

            “Slayers,” they inform me in unison.

            “What’s that mean?” Emmett asks as the entire Cullen family walks up on their way to see us off.

            “That’s my sign to exit. See you all soon,” Mary Beth announces and heads off.

            “Slayers are extinct,” I remind Jen.

            “So we thought,” my friend corrects me.

            “We still don’t know what you are talking about,” Alice impatiently interrupts.

            “I’ll let you tell them as I have never known a slayer,” I motion to Jen to start.

            “Well, about the time that my mother curse witches, there was a clan of magical beings that called themselves slayers. They felt it was their duty to make sure certain immortals met their end. This clan took that duty very seriously. The power structure was set up in an unusual way. The leader would co-rule the clan with the next in line for the last few years of their life. I’m not sure how they determined when to take on their next in line. In the end the next in line would find co-ruling tedious and unnecessary, so they killed their predecessor. Then the great division of the clan came about.

Barely a year after the leader, named Grim, took power, another member of the clan started making noise about a successor. While Grim was the youngest leader in a long time, the warrior was very experienced. The other member of the clan called himself Reaper. Reaper spoke out because he felt that he should have been chosen instead of Grim. Reaper was older and felt he was also wiser.

            Grim knew that his apparent rival only wanted the power in the clan and that the only way to get it was to kill the current leader. Grim refused to consider it. Reaper spread a rumor that Grim only wanted to decide who he wanted to die, not to listen to what nature was saying. The clan of slayers could sense those immortals whose time has expired. The accusation not only attacked Grim’s honor, but also his respect of the traditions of the clan. Grim responded by calling Reaper power-hungry. The clan was divided over the issue. Part of the clan knew what Reaper was trying to do, so they allied with Grim. The rest of the clan fell under the spell of Reaper’s charismatic speeches, so they allied with him.

            That split led to a period of horrendous war between the factions. The clan stopped seeking out the immortals that need to die in order to focus on the dissention between its members. After about a decade of bloodshed, the war ended. There were no known members of the clan left. That also happened to spawn the Grim Reaper myth. They had fought with each other until there was not a single member left. It was said that they were extinct. Until now, it was a notion that I was willing to accept. I was only 10 years old when the fighting ended, but I remember the one battlefield that mom and I went through in our quest to stay in front of our family. It was terrible. Really, I could not forget it if I tried. I have tried,” Jen brought the vampires up to speed on the situation.

            “What do slayers have to do with your mission?” Carlisle asks for his family.

            “To tell you the truth, I’m not very sure,” I answer him.

            “Mary Beth would not tell us that there are some survivors unless it was really important,” Jen says decisively.

            We all say our goodbyes and head off. The team members are the only ones allowed to be in the area of the time jump. I’ve been turning around the idea that slayers exist in my head. Why would the oracle have told us that? I mean, we are headed to the time period where the fighting was its worst. The clan was also very powerful just before their war. But Jen seems to think that they still exist. It could be that Mary Beth had something else to tell her. I will have to ask her about that when we get to our stop.

            Time travel is tricky. It’s also extremely dangerous. Care has to be taken in every move we make and every word we say. I am not looking forward to that. I am not looking forward to missing Edward either. I am a little excited about getting back into the game though. Teaching is rewarding, but there is nothing like action.

            We all get into position around the clearing. Apparently this particular clearing has residual magic that is really helpful for time travel. As we stand there, the world around us seems to go backwards. The occasional hiker passes us going in reverse. Suddenly, the pairs start to step back and disappear as they hit their assigned times. Soon, Jen and I are alone. We too step back and the timeline rights itself and the motions of the world.

            Jen looks around and I watch. She takes the lead of course, as she is familiar with this time period. Okay, I should say she is more familiar with this time period. She hasn’t actually been born yet. In fact, her mother has not been born yet. Jen heads off in a direction and I follow at her heels. We go for a ways and hit a town. Skirting the town, we settle in and wait for dusk. Jen picks a tree and I settle in a branch close to hers. Hopefully we can stay undetected by the witches. Jen suddenly freezes. I follow her gaze and am met with a pair of violet eyes…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	10. Weird Turn of Events

**BELLA**

 

            Those eyes enchant me. I can’t look away. Jen pulls my arm to shake me out of my state. She then drags me up to possibly the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. He seriously puts even vamps to shame. Even those witches that use all of their magic to make themselves beautiful can’t hold a candle to this guy. I have never been so glad to not have Edward around in my life. I don’t even know if I will be able to make a sound when I open my mouth.

            “Hello, Jen and Bella,” he greets us by name. How does he even know our names?

            “You have us at a disadvantage as you know our names, but we do not know yours,” Jen comments.

            “I am sorry for my lack of manners then. I am Grim. The oracle told me you might need my assistance, though she said you might not be expecting me,” Grim informs us. Grim was the leader of the slayers at the time that they slaughtered each other. Was this what Mary Beth meant? No, Jen said that there were survivors. Color me confused. But I guess understanding isn’t a requirement at this stage in the game.

            “I see. She neglected to tell us about you. However she probably has her own reasoning for that. What kind of assistance?” Jen switches into planning mode like always.

            “She did not tell me, just that you would be here on this date and at this time. So I arrived here early and waited. I am loyal to the oracle, so I will stay with you until such a time as you return to your own time period,” Grim says that with determination. I guess if he has the time to kill, then he is not in charge yet. Weird, my sense of time is off I guess.

            “That story does not take place until I was almost ten” Jen must have sensed my confusion.

            “But…” I start. Grim looks between us curiously.

            “Around this time is when the power structure changes,” she is being cryptic so that we do not influence Grim.

            “I see,” I answer my friend.

            “Well, we are looking for two witches. They are teenagers. The girl is from the most powerful magical family. The boy is from the next most powerful magical family,” Jen turns her attention to Grim.

            “I know the two that you look for. They have been destined for each other,” he informs us.

            “What does that mean?” I can’t help but let my curiosity leak out.

            “It means that it has been decided that they will one day wed. Their meeting and courtship period will be carefully planned out so that they will have no idea that they are being guided. The destining of a pair is extremely hard to do, and therefore a very rare occurrence. Research has to be done in order to discover it. The problem lies in the fact that if the couple ever finds out about the destining, the pair and their families will grow a great hatred of each other. The result is good for us. My grandparents’ parents will never say a word to anyone about the destining for fear of destroying what little power witches hold still. The earliest date they will seek is the date of the meeting,” Jen explains.

            “Then how does he know about it?” I ask, still confused.

            “Slayers see the truth by looking at you. I saw their parents planning. You still have time for their meeting has not yet happened. It is set for tomorrow, just after dawn,” Grim tells us.

            “Is there somewhere we can lay low for awhile?” I ask our apparent guide.

            “Of course, I set a place up the very day the oracle paid me a visit,” he leads us in the direction of our place to stay. Does he look a little different when he talks about Mary Beth? I might just have love on the brain though. I miss Edward. Grim’s looks are still exceptional, but I love Edward. This must be how Edward feels about Rose.

            We walk for a ways in silence. Jen seems to be holding something back. I will have to ask her about it when we get a moment alone. Grim seems to be looking forward to something. There is a cave ahead that has to be our temporary home. The approach is going to be challenging as the mouth of the cave lies about halfway up a cliff face. He has got to be kidding.

            “What’s the matter Bella, not in shape enough to handle a little bit of a challenge?” Jen teases me. Grim starts to smile, but then holds it in.

            “I’m not concerned at all,” I announce to their great amusement.

            “Are you not a witch?” Grim asks with a smirk. Stupid slayer and his grasp of the obvious thing that I forgot…

            “You are both so funny,” I roll my eyes.

            True to their calculations, we make an easy job of the climb. Magic really is amazing. The cave is very well stocked, actually. There are provisions. He even outfitted the place with a sleeping area that is plush with sleeping bags and pillows. There is a pit for cooking. We don’t need any wood because we are trained. Actually, we could have set up the place ourselves with no trouble. Grim wanted to be helpful and we appreciate it. The place is still pretty well set up though.

            “If you don’t mind, I have one thing to do tonight. As much as I would like to stay with you both, if we want to avoid suspicion I need to try and keep my regular routine,” Grim apologizes without needing to.

            “Absolutely, we will be fine. See you in the early hours of morning then?” Jen says.

            “I shall be here,” he assures us and then heads towards the opening.

            “Wait,” Jen shouts. He turns and looks at her. She conjures a stemmed rose made of durable glass. Its bloom is a deep purple and its stem was clear. Grim’s face clears and a huge grin takes over his expression.

            “Thank you. I have been looking for something special and this is absolutely perfect,” Grim envelopes Jen in a fierce hug. He then delicately takes the rose and heads off into the dark.

            “What’s the deal with Grim?” I ask my friend.

            “What do you mean?” she deflects.

            “I know you know something,” I insist.

            “I might,” she hedges.

            “Come on, please tell me,” I wheedle.

            “All right, I do know something. But it’s not really my place to say anything,” Jen ends the conversation. She sure can be annoying sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	11. Sleep? What is That?

**BELLA**

 

            “What do you think you are doing?” Jen looks at me like I am slightly crazy.

            “Um, getting some sleep?” I answer, but it sounds more like a question.

            “Try again darlin’. We have stuff to do,” Jen shakes her head.

            “Okaaay…” I drop the sleeping bag that I was holding.

            We have stuff to do? I can’t think of anything. Well, we don’t really have a plan and we have not meditated since we got here. Oh, well there is that. Normally we don’t have to meditate very often, but we want to be in absolute control of all our magic in case we run into any problems. Violet flames fly from Jen’s fingertips and catch fire to logs that appear in the cooking pit. Foil packets materialize in the fire.

            “There’s just something about cooking the food that makes it taste better,” Jen sighs as she watches the flames.

            “That’s true, even though that really should not be the truth,” I agree with my friend.

            “The feeling of accomplishment makes everything better,” Jen says in her fake serious tone before she sticks her tongue out at me.

            We eat and joke like we used to do when we still did regular missions as Hunters. Who knows, maybe we will end up doing more when this thing is over. I once more start to head for bed when Jen cocks an eyebrow at me. Hmm…meditation, right. I don’t know where my head is tonight. I guess I miss Edward more than what I thought I would. Come on, Bella. Keep your head or someone might get hurt…if not worse. I want to keep things the way they are. Can you even imagine how awful the witch rule would be?

            “It would be fairly awful,” Jen responds to my thoughts. Well, she is not really responding to my thoughts. Witches can’t read other witches’ minds. However, sometimes I suspect that Jen can read people’s minds sometimes.

            “How do you do that?” I feign annoyance at that ability.

            “I was just thinking. I didn’t even realize that I had said anything out loud,” Jen dismisses my try at teasing.

            “Oh, I was considering what another rule of witches would be like,” I hope that she will share her own ponderings as well.

            “I was thinking what it would be like for my mom if she never met my dad,” Jen fulfills my hope by saying.

            “Why would that be awful? She would not know the difference,” I query.

            “No, but then she would have been pressured to marry another witch, preferably of an affluent family. My grandparents can be very cruel in their attempts to ‘do what’s best for you.’ Well, that’s not true. They want to ensure what happens is best for the family line regardless of what it means for individuals,” Jen informs me.

            “But they are in love, right?” my curiosity makes me ask.

            “They are, and they are happy. But, their own marriage was what was best for the family line. What matters to magical family lines is power and nothing else. There are very few members of the old lines that think about anything else, even to this day. My mother’s family line is the worst offender in the quest for power. Not a single member other than mom and me will hesitate to make a match that will further the hunt for more power,” Jen explains patiently.

            We lapse into silence for awhile before we both start to meditate. This is where time becomes somewhat irrelevant. I ignore its ebb and flow. I can feel the magic coursing through my body. The ribbons of power flow stronger and faster with my attention on them. I make the effort to slow them to a leisurely pace. One cannot achieve inner peace with a torrent of power raging within. The flow of power is still strong, but the flow is easy. I concentrate on every turn and every stretch, retracing the path that I learned to love when I first learned to meditate. I focus and the ribbons grow more and then think out to almost nonexistent. This control allows for the aura of magic to fade for those who know to look for or can even see such things. I go through the familiar paces. I can change the patterns and the flow to concentrate the power in particular parts of my body. I can make the magic fill my entire being and have only the undercurrents that the deep sea has.

            “It is almost time, I’m afraid,” Grim’s apology and statement break through my meditative trance. I open my eyes to find that Jen is standing up.

            “Then we must leave,” I answer him.

            “There is no need to apologize,” Jen assures him with a grin.

            Grim has this goofy grin on his face. I wish Jen would just tell me what the deal is there. But I guess I can understand her point too. If it does not concern her, then she really does not talk about it. That is a good quality for a friend, no matter how annoying I find it at this time. We head off with Grim in the lead. It does not take long for Jen to look at him expectantly.

            “Did things go well?” she asks when he refuses to even look her way. Grim blushes a bit.

            “Yes, things went very well. But then, you already knew that the evening would progress the way that it did,” he mumbles as his blush gets deeper. That is an interesting reaction.

            “I’m lost,” I huff.

            “Oh, you should just let it go, darlin’,” Jen laughs.

            “You didn’t tell her,” Grim says that like a statement because apparently he never really questioned it.

            “Of course I did not tell her. I figured that you would tell her if you wanted her to know anything,” Jen rolls her eyes.

            “You two are doing this on purpose,” I accuse them.

            “Bella, you need to relax,” Jen sighs.

            “Do you really and truly want to know?” Grim asks me.

            “Of course I really and truly want to know,” my glare shifts between them both.

            “Then I will tell you. Last night was an anniversary in my relationship with the oracle,” Grim says that like it is obvious. Wait, what? He’s seeing Mary Beth?!?!?!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	12. Reeling

**BELLA**

 

            It feels like there is little air. I am simply amazed. One might even say speechless. Mary Beth and Grim?! I don’t know if I can wrap my mind around this.

            “We have been seeing each other for a year as of yesterday,” Grim interrupts my thoughts.

            “…a year?” is all I can manage to get out.

            “Yes, since I am up for the position of leader in my clan, she did not want others to question how I got the nomination at my tender age. So, we don’t spread around the good news,” he smiles that goofy smile again.

            “I believe last night you also asked her to be your wife,” Jen adds.

            “That explains your impatience with his silence,” I comment. Breathing is getting easier.

            “I don’t know why you never asked about that. I mean, Mary Beth can be gruff, but she still has quite the following of hopefuls buzzing about her,” Jen snickers.

            “It just never occurred to me, I guess,” I answer.

            “Is the oracle alone in your time?” Grim asks hurriedly. He sounds really worried.

            “We can’t tell you that,” Jen says firmly.

            She is absolutely right. If Mary Beth is alone, then that could mean that Grim dies in the war to come. It could also mean that he left her…or that she left him for that matter. Then, if they are still together and we told him, would he stay with her because they share true love or because we told him that he would? Time travel sucks. People make it out to be like a vacation, but there are so many things that you have to look out for that it is not even worth it. Well, except in emergencies like the one we are in right now. This headache is really worth it, if it helps Jen and her mother.

            “Will you stay very long after this morning?” Grim and Jen seem to have been talking while I zoned out.

            “Doubtful. This is the ideal time for someone to make a move. The only problem we might face is that the protection spell we weave won’t last until the next team’s time frame,” Jen answers our guide.

            “I have no doubt that you will succeed,” Grim assures us of his faith in us. He really only believes in us because of the oracle though. But if she is certain of her vision, then we have nothing to worry about.

            “Ever thought that you would be protecting your grandparents after all the shit they put you through?” I ask my friend seriously.

            “I did not. But I will do what it takes to protect my mom,” Jen is unwavering in her will to makes sure her mother will be fine.

            Suddenly, Jen and Grim skid to a stop. I almost bump into them. Someone is blocking the path ahead, but they have their back to us. Jen seems rooted to the spot she is standing in for a minute before she steps forward and addresses the woman in front of us.

            “Mom, what are you doing here?” she demands. Wait, as if the whole Grim and Mary Beth thing was not enough…

            “The same thing that you are my dear,” the woman says as she turns to face us. She looks like Jen. I mean, she _really_ looks like Jen. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear they were identical twins.

            “I see you take after your mother in appearance,” Grim comments quietly to Jen.

            “Of course, I made sure of that,” Jen’s mom responds.

            “That way, no one could track down who my father was based on any resemblance I might have had to him,” Jen adds.

            “I could not let you do this yourself,” Jen’s mom is pleading for understanding from her daughter.

            “How did you even get here?” Jen blurts out.

            “I got help from those witches who are my friends,” Jen’s mom hedges.

            “I was unaware you still had magical friends,” Jen points out as her eyes narrow.

            “All right, they were witches that owed me,” Jen’s mom huffs.

            “This might not be the best place for a reunion,” I say as I look around.

            “Come with me,” Grim takes Jen’s mom’s hand and drags her off.

            Jen stands where her mother was standing and peers through the brush. I move next to her and realize that her mom had picked a really good vantage point to the spot where the meeting was to take place. As we watch, we both remain silent. Jen has never pushed me, and I will not push her. How on earth did her mother think she would be able to help us? She has no magic. Not that magic is everything, because it is not. But one needs to have a method of defending themselves when dealing with witches. Good thing Grim was here. Well, I should say it’s a good thing that Mary Beth asked him to tag along.

            It’s not long before a girl rushes along the road in front of us. I see a flash and Jen and I launch ourselves over her. We make contact with the two witches in the air and tackle them back down to the other side of the road. The girl stops a moment and looks around. Fortunately, the brush hides us and we winded our opponents. We magically bind them and then wait. While the girl is looking around a boy walks towards her from the other direction. They lock eyes. This is it. Jen and I cast the protection spell. We drag the witches behind us as we back away from the scene unfolding with Jen’s grandparents.

            “You will not be successful so easily,” one of our captives hisses as he catches his breath again.

            “You just keep telling yourself that,” I sneer at him.

            “There are others coming. You can’t protect them for their whole lives,” the other one manages while he still gasps for air.

            “Darlin’, you just say what you need to in order to sleep at night,” Jen dismisses him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	13. Messing with the Enemy

**BELLA**

 

            The double idiots sit in what they probably think is stoic silence. It really comes off as petulant and toddler-esque. They are seriously sitting there, pouting.

            “Well, I see things worked out well for you,” Grim says as he approaches.

            “Where’s my mom?” Jen asks him. That is a good question.

            “She faded back to your time. It looked like she timed out,” Grim says.

            Jen just nods. That makes sense. Jen’s mom wouldn’t count on waiting around her parents entire lives for Jen to show up. Also, whoever she conned into helping her would not want her around for a really long amount of time and draw attention. Questions would be asked. The truth would be found out through probably excruciating torture. Having a time limit would be the logical thing to do. At least now we don’t have to track her down.

            “What are you going to do with them? I don’t sense their death anytime soon,” Grim seems more amused at that than anything.

            “I have something a little better for our long term plan than killing him,” Jen sounds a little sinister when she says that.

            “Do tell,” I respond, completely interested.

            “I’m thinking memory charms,” Jen informs us.

            “Good plan,” I agree with my friend.

            A memory charm would enable us to write out a history for this time. We would plant what we want for the magical families to hear. Jen and I decide on the history. The idiots found us. One of them leads us on a wild goose chase. The other one enchants Jen’s magical grandparents so that they cannot conceive for a few years. Since Jen’s mom was born about a year into their marriage, that should appease the future versions. Jen takes the one and fills in the chase sequence for his mind. I take the second one and fill in the holes to make him really thinks he is brilliant. I hope we don’t go overboard. It would be hard to believe if these guys act too out of character. There is only so much a stroke of genius can allow for someone acting out of character.

            Grim seems very amused at our antics. Well, what he calls our antics. Apparently slayers usually dispose of people that they feel have served their purpose. That makes sense really. I mean when you consider the kind of society that the clan has. But Grim does not say anything. He’s very good at the whole being supportive regardless of how insane he might be concerned you are thing. That might be why he and Mary Beth work well. Some of her ideas and plans seem really out there, but they always work. What else can you expect from the oracle though?

            We send our little puppets on their merry way, thinking that all went in their favor. Their brilliance, or luck, will be all they need to advance their placement in the potential magical regime. They didn’t suspect a thing as they traveled back to our time. That might have been the easiest acceptance of forged memories that I have experienced, though my own personal knowledge is rather limited in the matter. Jen does not seem very concerned and she has uncanny intuition with regards to the functionality of spells.

            Jen and I watch over her maternal grandparents for about a decade more. On the day we see another team coming around we head back to the clearing. Our part of the plan is over. We only had those two visitors. Maybe those idiots that want witches to rule again have accepted the story that we sent them. Probably not, though. But they didn’t send anyone back to our assigned decade.

            Everyone is waiting for us when we get back. Well, of course they are. We get back at the moment after we left. It was the agreed plan. I’m happy to see that every team made it back unscathed. But it seems like the magical families have not put up much of a fuss…

            “What happens if they send someone else back now?” Emmett asks, clearly confused on the entire plan.

            “If they send someone back, then we would have found them because we were there,” I patiently explain.

            “Miss you,” Edward interrupts as he wraps his arms around me.

            “Sheesh, she was only gone for like a second for you. She had to go a whole decade and you don’t see her going all to pieces,” Rose shakes her head at her brother.

            The squabbling soon engulfs everyone around me. I look and notice that Jen is nowhere to be found. That’s not like her. Something must be on her mind. I think about going after her until my husband’s lips meet mine. In no time I’m lost in the kiss, trying to convey how much I missed him. Was there something I was worried about?

 

            It’s a beautiful morning. I walk with Edward to school and start to head for my first class of the day. On the way there I pass near Jen’s office…wait… I could just whack my head against a wall. I completely forgot about her behavior when we got back yesterday. I will just head right there and ask her about it before the school day starts. Eliot and Jen appear at her office door just as I turn the corner. I hastily move back around. That felt like a moment between them. I guess I’ll have to wait until end of the day before I head back to check on her…maybe I could swing by during lunch…

 

            Nope, Eliot beat me again to Jen’s office during lunch. That tears it, there is something wrong and I will find out what it is. Jen should not be acting this way, our mission was a success. When I reach the lounge, Edward looks anxious. Can’t a girl be running late? I raise an eyebrow to challenge the look, but he does not take the bait.

            “Where’s Jen?” Dakota asks me quietly even though we know everyone is listening and can actually hear us.

            “In her office with Eliot, I think we need to talk to her after our last class,” I answer.

            “She has been acting weird since we got back,” Dakota comments. I want to correct her and say that the behavior started while we were gone and has gotten progressively worse, but I don’t. Jen deserves privacy, just not at the cost of her life. Why would I think that her life is in danger at all? I just don’t get this situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	14. Realization Dawns

**BELLA**

 

            I feel like there is something that I am missing. It’s like something is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t think of it to save my life. I walk to Jen’s office and sit in front of the closed door. I am ridiculously early, but I want to make sure that I have an opportunity to talk to Jen. It does not take long before Dakota joins me. We sit silently, but each of us knows what the other is thinking. We want to know what’s going on. The whole thing feels like a riddle. I know the answer will be incredibly obvious when I hear it.

            Jen and Eliot walk hand in hand towards us. He gives her hand a gentle squeeze before he heads off towards his classroom. I guess whatever it is, Jen wants to tell us alone. She leads us into her office and we all sit down.

            “We were foolish,” Jen starts.

            “How do you mean?” I ask.

            “The magical families have never counted on going back and changing things,” my friend sighs. Suddenly all of the pieces fall together for both Dakota and me.

            “I can’t believe I didn’t See this,” Dakota sounds astounded.

            “I can’t believe I didn’t realize that the whole thing was way too easy,” I respond.

            We spend the rest of our free time during the day rushing here and talking some more. The biggest problem is not that Jen’s life is in danger, but that her mother’s life is in danger. Jen’s mom does not have her magic and cannot defend herself. The determination of both of them is all that really stands between the magical families and their taking over the world. I mean, what’s the point of talking over with no line of succession? Power play after power play would ensue and everything would just go to pot.

            “Has anyone made a try for your life?” it occurs to me to ask at the end of the day.

            “No one has yet,” Jen answers.

            “Seriously, I am surprised that they weren’t waiting for you when you got back.” Dakota adds.

            “The waiting is the hard part. But those who wish me dead should know that they really only have a few chances to actually succeed in that aim,” Jen replies.

            “It’s good that the other are letting us be,” I suddenly notice that we have been left alone.

            “I’m sure Eliot explained everything and they want to give us our space so that we can plan what to do,” Jen comments.

            “Where do we even begin?” Dakota huffs.

            “It’s not like we have ever had to work out how to protect someone we already know,” I add.

            “There is really very little for you to be concerned about with me,” Jen rolls her eyes.

            “But you love your mom…” Dakota starts.

            “More importantly though, you really like your mother,” I interrupt.

            “And we want to make sure that nothing happens to her,” Dakota eyes me while she finishes.

            “If I want to interrupt you, then I will. There is nothing about trying to give me the evil eye that will stop that,” I tease her.

            We go back and forth for a while. I’m not going to lie. I’m very impressed with the lack of interference. The only things that give us pause in our planning are when Eliot brings us dinner and Dakota has to use the restroom. Edward is really doing me proud with this. I would have thought that he might be a little bit of an interruption…

 

**ALICE**

 

            “EDWARD IF YOU MOVE ONE INCH I WILLL PERSONALLY REMOVE YOUR LEGS!” Emmett bellows for the umpteenth time.

            “He’ll really do it, you know,” Rose sighs.

            We are all rather annoyed at him, really. I mean the girls have a real problem on their hands and need time to deal with it…or at least to make a plan to deal with it. Eliot informed us of the issue at hand this morning. They have been in there for basically the whole day. Well, Bella and Dakota taught their classes and Jen dealt with the paperwork and the Council who randomly sent over a couple of interns today. Who even knows what they are thinking…

            Anyway, Edward has been trying to duck us and interrupt the planning session since school got out. I’m proud of him for going that long before he cracked. Once we all heard about it, Emmett started taking bets. Usually I win, but I can’t see Edward very often because if he is doing something that Bella affects, there is one gaping hole in my vision. I know that one of them should be there, but alas there is only the hole. It all started out with me not being able to see how they affected our lives, but as I got used to being around them they took on a strangely transforming wolf pack quality of being holes. Jasper won this round. He said that Edward would make it to the end of the day before he lost his cool. I’m thinking that my darling husband might have had some kind of say in how long Edward felt calm about the whole mess. Luckily, Emmett does not suspect or he might throw an even bigger tantrum than Edward. They can be such babies sometimes. I can’t help the eye role that goes with my thoughts. Rose sees it and nods her agreement.

            “If you are both fully ready to act your age, I think the girls might break soon,” I announce to the now three boys wrestling on the ground. That catches their attention and they stop in a comical position with Edward sandwiched between Emmett and Jasper who are clasping arms to trap their brother.

            “How can you possibly know that?” Edward asks in disbelief.

            “Because I lose us all in a couple of minutes,” I answer him.

            “Not going to make a break for it?” Carlisle asks Edward as he and Esme enter the room.

            The three boys suddenly remember the position that they are in and resume their wrestling. He can’t even wait a few minutes? Seriously? I guess I should not really be surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	15. Where's Waldo?

**BELLA**

 

            A couple of days have passed since our planning session and Edward has been mostly okay. He kind of freaked out on me that day, but he has clamed down since then. Jen, Dakota, and I talked it over and we decided that step one is obvious. We need to bring Jen’s mom to us. I mean, regardless of how we protect Jen’s mom, it will work best if she is with us. What better place is there for her than amongst all these immortals that are vested in keeping the Council in power and the old magic family lines in check? Jen and Eliot ducked out right at the end of the school day to go and find her.

            “I think that things will go well,” Jasper quietly interrupts my musings.

            “Do you, now,” I respond.

            “Yeah, you don’t have to worry. Things will work themselves out in the end,” he sounds so confident.

            “I know they will. It’s just in the mean time, the waiting thing is killing me,” I sigh.

            We meet up with the others and head out of the school. Jasper and I are still working together with some of the classes, so we usually walk together from the last class of the day. That vampire is just so easy to talk to. If witches were not immune to his special talent, I would be suspicious of that. All thought of Jasper flee my mind when Edward takes my hand. We depart on our own way home.

 

**ALICE**

 

            Dakota calls me and wants to have a chat. That’s not so unusual, I guess. We spend a lot of time together. Sometimes we even share classes for the beginning psychics. Somehow this time seems different. I kiss Jasper goodbye and head out to meet with Dakota. There is this cute café that we both love. I like to watch the couples that go there while Dakota loves their pastries and hot chocolate.

            “Hey,” she greets me with a grin as I enter the café.

            “Hey,” I smile back.

            “I got you a coffee,” she giggles. We do like to at least appear normal while in public.

            “How sweet of you to think of me,” I respond with my own chuckle.

            “I suppose you are curious,” Dakota teases.

            “Maybe, just a little,” I keep the banter going.

            “Well, I suppose there is no time like the present. I am having a problem that I’ve never had before. I am having trouble locating Jen’s mother in the present and the future,” she starts.

            “You don’t want to worry Jen or Bella with this yet, I take it,” I briefly interrupt.

            “It’s Jen’s mother. I don’t want her to freak out,” Dakota informs me.

            “Does Jen freak out? I don’t think that I have ever seen that,” I comment.

            “Well, I have not seen it either. However, I’m sure that she is capable of freaking out. You know, I’m not sure if Bella has ever seen her freak out now that I think about it,” Dakota sounds pensive.

            “Have you Seen her mother before?” I can’t help but ask the question that is tugging at my mind.

            “Yes, she’s of magical birth. She is a witch still, just with no more of her own magic left in her and she has no access to her family’s magical reserves. Today is the first time that I have ever not been able to find her in the present and the future,” Dakota’s eyebrows come together in her efforts to See now.

            “That is odd. I wonder what could make it that way now,” I comment, almost more to myself that to my friend.

            “I can’t think of anything at all. I guess I’ll have to discuss this with Jen when she gets back,” she sounds like she is really dreading that conversation, not that I can blame her. I would be upset if I were Jen.

            “You might want to bring the matter up with Bella so that she is prepared when Jen gets back,” I suggest.

            “Yeah, that is probably the best thing,” Dakota sighs and looks out the window.

 

**BELLA**

 

            “What, exactly, do you mean when you say that you can’t see her?” I need clarification from my slightly nervous friend.

            “It’s like she does not even exist,” Dakota winces at the statement.

            “At all?” I persist.

            “At all,” she confirms.

            “That’s a little unusual for you, right?” this one is hard to wrap my brain around.

            “This is really the only time that it has happened,” she confesses.

            “That could be a bad,” I start.

            “But we don’t really know that for sure because I can’t See anything,” Dakota finishes my sentence.

            “What are the odds that Jen will know what is going on?” I think out loud.

            “I’m really hoping for in our favor. I’m not going to lie, this whole thing is kind of freaking me out,” Dakota’s pitch goes higher and higher as she talks.

            We lapse into silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I’m not quite sure what to make of this. Jen’s mom is not visible to our resident Seer. Dakota is possibly the most powerful Seer regardless of species. Things are just not adding up for me.

            “So, is there anything that you would care to tell me?” suddenly Jen strides through the door of my office and plops down in her favorite spot on my couch. She looks expectantly at Dakota.

            “Um, well I’m going to guess that you already know about your mom not being able to be found,” Dakota hesitates all through her answer.

            “I would say that is a safe assumption. Eliot and I went to look for her only to discover that I can’t locate her through our shared, magical blood,” Jen responds.

            “I can’t See her at all,” Dakota rushes to confess.

            “Did you look everywhere?” I ask Jen despite the fact that I know she is very thorough.

            “Not yet,” Jen sighs and sinks further in to the couch.

            “Do you need help?” I ask, uncertainly.

            “No, I just thought you two would want to tag along for the next stop,” Jen yawns as she says this. Her answer has piqued out curiosity. Now, we have to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	16. Reunion of Sorts

**BELLA**

 

            “I can’t believe I never thought about this before. I mean, come on, how long have we known the oracle?” Dakota says in disbelief.

            “Well, Mary Beth has always come to us,” Jen shrugs.

            “I guess it just never occurred to me that she had a special place,” I add.

            “No one ever really thinks about it, but she’s been able to hide out for much longer than you think,” Jen just smiles at our ignorance.

            “As long as you are enjoying this,” I roll my eyes.

            “Seriously, Mary Beth is a person under all that oracle stuff. She has a right to privacy of her own,” Dakota defends Jen.

            “Even if she is the head of the Council,” Jen adds.

            “Why can’t we just teleport there?” Dakota changes the subject as we come to the bottom of what might be a mountain.

            “Because there is a natural barrier here,” Mary Beth surprises us by replying from behind. We spin around in a bit of alarm.

            “I don’t think that I follow,” Jen is the first to recover.

            “Well, I might be using the word ‘natural’ a little loosely. I found this place a very long time ago. Within a perimeter of jagged rocks, there is a rather unusual phenomenon that I have never been able to explain. When an immortal passes this border, they become human. Seers can’t penetrate the bubble. Magic flees from witches. It’s like you pick up your life from the day that you changed. The only exception is that you don’t age at all,” Mary Beth explains.

            “Really?” the three of us say together as we turn in unison to look at the path ahead of us.

            “Yeah, the funny thing is that this place fits the description of Shangri-La. It’s also about where legend places such a place,” Mary Beth chuckles while she responds.

            “Authors never really get things right. I’m not surprised that James Hilton was a little confused,” Dakota sounds very knowledgeable about this.

            “You know, he based that place on old legends that he heard from an immortal. I mean, this place is out of the way, but not entirely isolated. Every so often, travelers, and later hikers and campers, come through. Imagine, accidentally coming across a place where you don’t age? And then never being able to find it again? That kind of thing does not get forgotten,” Mary Beth replies easily.

            “It’s probably those family stories that get told at reunions but not in the general public for the shame of sharing blood with the crazy person who invented a magical place where they felt amazing and did not age,” Dakota adds.

            Sighing, we all start our journey to the place that the oracle built. It is deep in the weird shield-like, bubble thing. We trudge and trudge for most of the day, only stopping to eat and answer nature’s call. Mary Beth is clearly used to this trek. She is perfectly fine with walking all this way on a winding and occasionally steep path. I think I would rather move around the world a lot, than have to take this way to get to my home every time I wanted to be there.

            “Color me lazy, but what’s the point of living in a place that you can only access by walking for centuries to get there?” Dakota whines at Mary Beth.

            “Darlin’, we have only been walking for like a couple of hours,” the oracle laughs in response.

            I must have misheard her. Did she really say we have only been traveling couple of hours? We have to have been walking for longer than that. Maybe being able to transport myself and magically move quickly has made me really lazy. But, come on, how many places are there in the world where immortals have to rely on their human physical stamina? I wonder what Edward would make of this place. He always despises his vampire nature. Would he be really happy to be more human? I guess we could see if Mary Beth would welcome neighbors. Then we might build a house somewhere that is not nearly as deep in as her house is. This walk is verging on painfully ridiculous. I guess we just happened to hit a mealtime while we were going along.

            “Finally,” Dakota sighs as she practically collapses on Mary Beth’s front porch.

            “You guys are weak,” the oracle teases us.

            She unlocks the door and we all rush into the air-conditioned bliss that awaits us. All that we do is sink onto the comfortable furniture. Something is nagging at my brain, but I can’t bring myself to exert the effort to bring it up to the front. I sigh at the same time as Jen and Dakota. It just feels so good to just sit for a spell.

            “Is everybody comfy?” Mary Beth asks us, still amused at our lack of ability to breathe deeply and fully.

            “Yeah,” the three of us grunt in unison.

            “Good,” answers a familiar voice.

            “Hey, mom,” Jen greets that voice while Dakota and I shot up in our seats and turn to look.

            “Why, exactly, are you not surprised to find her here?” I demand.

            “Because this is the only place that no Seer can penetrate,” Mary Beth answers for Jen.

            “Because I couldn’t see your mother, you knew where she was?” Dakota sounds more than a little confused and irritated.

            “I suspected that she came here since she vanished from the time that Bella and I were watching her parents. The lack of visions on your part just fell in line with my suspicions,” Jen snuggles more deeply in her comfy chair.

            “Well, when did you get home?” a masculine voice speaks to Mary Beth.

            “Not too long ago,” she smiles.

            “What. The. Hell,” is all that I can say when I recognize the man behind the voice.

            “Nice to see you too, Bella,” Grim chuckles at me.

My mouth opens and closes in what probably looks like a fish motion. I just can’t make words come out. How is he even here? I thought that all the Slayers were long since gone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	17. Grim Story

**BELLA**

 

            “Okay, I am beyond confused,” I admit.

            “I suppose you want the whole story?” Grim is still chuckling.

            “As opposed to half the story?” Dakota shoots back. We are both starting to get past confused and head into annoyed.

            “Well, we got married not to long after you two left. Mary Beth and I knew what such a move would mean. Bringing our love out into the open brought a lot of problems amongst the Slayers. While she did not affect the process that brought me to power, Reaper became much more vocal about his belief that he was the rightful leader. Unfortunately, he was not the only one. The clan was basically split in two and war ensued. The result was that the final battle left every last Slayer to die on the field. Mary Beth saw that end and rushed to be with me. I was dying. Suddenly, there was a Healer. The pain faded away and so did my consciousness,” Grim starts the tale.

            “It was really hard going there for awhile, especially when I told the Healer about my house location. But we managed to get Grim here and he stayed unconscious for days before anything started to happen. I spent that time looking into the future. The Slayers were gone. I saw rumors that spread about every last Slayer had died in the struggle. I liked it that way, but would not start anything myself until my husband woke up. He finally decided to grace us with his alertness. Grim was by no means one hundred percent, but he was on the mend. The Healer felt that he could leave. We never saw him again…well, in person anyway. I saw him in a vision. He was killed by one of the Elite Guard when he accidentally got too close to the Volturi’s center of operations. It was sad, but with him gone, only the two of us knew the truth,” Mary Beth picked up her part of the story.

            “After I was able to understand all that was going on, I grieved for my fallen brethren. I had to deal with a couple of things. There was coming to terms with the fact that I really and truly was the last of my kind. There was also accepting that I was the leader at the time when my clan was basically wiped off the face of the planet. I was in a bad place for a long time. Mary Beth was patient and so great. I would not have made it without her. By they time I started to come out of that phase, the rumors had already taken root. It was just easier to let them take over. Mary Beth is certain that it will be helpful in the future. We don’t spend as much time as I would like together now that I am supposed to have gone the way of the other Slayers, but we do spend as much time together as we can. The rumors became the ‘accurate’ historical account. Popular history never really is in sync with the actual happenings,” Grim ends on what is apparently a sensitive subject from him.

            “As much as I hate to say it, the general public is more than willing to swallow what they are given,” I agree with him.

            “So, mom, are you staying here for now or for a longer time?” Jen gets us back to the original reason that we came here.

            “I’ve been invited to take up residence in the guest house,” Jen’s mother announces rather happily.

            “We are more than happy to accommodate her,” the oracle winks at Jen’s mom.

            “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you planned this,” Jen says suspiciously.

            “You might be on to something there,” Dakota narrows her eyes in mock annoyance.

            “You mean we ran all over the past and protecting awful witches in the form of Jen’s maternal grandparents for nothing?” I can barely get through that without shouting or gritting my teeth. Those people really were awful. The only thing worse that having to watch them go through their horrible, self-centered lives was the fact that I could not let them die. How could someone as great as Jen or her mom come from that line?

            “Nope, there was still a possibility that the magical families would have gone that route. And also, we had to make them thing we fell for their little ploy,” Jen is the one that answers me.

            “You knew?” both Dakota and I ask in unison.

            “Well, I put the pieces together while we were gone. I couldn’t very well say something in front of Grim, now could I?” she seems to relax a bit after that statement.

            “I suppose not,” I grudgingly admit.

            “You could have said something when we got back though,” Dakota pouts.

            “Aw, you want a little cheese with that whine?” Jen’s mom teases. Dakota responds by sticking her tongue out.

            We sit there and chat for awhile. Mary Beth and Grim of course invite us to stay the night. We do just that because thinking about that trek back is tiring us out. That’s right, we are so used to being able to use our magic that just thinking about walking that much on human steam is tuckering all three of us out. It’s sad, I’ll admit it. I sleep so soundly, despite the fact that I really miss Edward and know he is probably beside himself with his own worrying about me.

            We somehow manage to make it out of the so-called paradise on earth without as many stops. Once we clear the mysterious and completely invisible barrier, we transport ourselves back to our respective homes. Edward is waiting for me and treats me to a fierce hug. We tell each other how much we missed the other one. It does not take too long before he lightly brushes my lips with his. On the second pass I tangle my fingers in his hair and hold him right over my mouth and the kiss soon leaves behind gentle in favor of heated and then passionate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


	18. Loose Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end of this series as it stands. Any thoughts on a third one? This one got big and a little mind boggling, if I am honest. Anyway, enjoy!

**BELLA**

 

            Okay, a lot has happened in the last few weeks. The magical families that have been cursed into barren marriages decided to make a try for fixing that. The only real way of doing that is going after Jen and her mother because they are the two who are really dedicated to the curse. Jen’s mom was the one who cast the curse after her family was very awful to her for falling for a mortal. Jen, Dakota, and I, with some assistance from our loved ones for back-up of course, by going back in time and watching over things from the day that Jen’s maternal grandparents meet until the day we went back in time. Well, that was dull work because Mary Beth, the oracle, had spirited Jen’s mom away about that time to her home. The time thing was very confusing, as matters of time always are. But in the end, both Jen and her mom are safe and sound. The magical families are not happy with this, but as the other immortals outnumber them they really can’t do anything about it. Never thought I would say it, but the Council is really amazing for that.

            “No way,” Jen’s voice interrupts my internal monologue.

            “What?” Dakota plops down next to Jen in the living room.

            “What are you reading?” I ask when I notice the paper in Jen’s slightly shaking hands.

            “My dad sent me a letter,” she sounds confused.

            “I thought that your dad was a mortal,” I comment.

            “So did I. I guess that there is some explaining that he felt he needed to do though,” Jen says absent-mindedly. Dakota and I lean to read over our friend’s shoulder.

 

_My Darling Daughter,_

_I am so sorry that your mother and I have not been honest with you about me. I suppose the best place to start would be the beginning. I was a historian in my human life. I was forever in search of things that mainstream historians labeled as fairytales and folly to pursue. I sought the Holy Grail for awhile with little to show for it in way of proof of its existence. But I can never look at that particular quest, if you will pardon my pale excuse for humor. That was the blessed trip that I met the most wonderful woman in the world…well, my world anyway. I was sitting at this fountain, reading sources that I had hoped would prove fruitful in my endeavor. Out of nowhere, this beautiful girl sits herself down near me. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. After that, I simply could not concentrate on what I was doing._

_I put my materials back in my bag and leaned over to her. She would not meet my gaze. So, I asked her what was bothering her. Before my eyes, she seemed to crumble. Being the gentleman that my mother raised, I gathered her in my arms and moved us to a more private place. She would have gone into even more pieces if she knew that complete strangers were watching her with some interest in her worst moments. Her sobs eventually fell into hiccups. Then she told me about her family, leaving out the whole magical beings thing. I could not believe my ears. Her parents thought that she was a deviant, of all things. I tried to consol her, but it was in vain. She was able to convince me that they really did not understand or accept her. She suddenly seemed to realize that she was confiding in someone she had just met. Before I could stop her, she seemed to vanish._

_I lingered in that city for as long as it took to see her again. Slowly, over many weeks, we got to know one another very well. We fell in love. She told me that she was a witch. That was fine by me. It didn’t matter if she was an alien. I wanted her to be my wife. We were wed, needless to say without her family’s permission or blessing._

_Not long after you were born and your mother used all of her magic to curse the magical families, I found some evidence of a fountain that granted eternal life to any who would drink from it. Well, my wife wanted nothing more than to protect me and you. So, we decided it was best if I followed my line of evidence as the magical families would never think to look for me on that trail. She took off with you and hid very well. I did follow the evidence and lo and behold, I stumbled across it. It was quite by accident as I thought that it really lay somewhere else. Fortunately, I got lost and found it in a clearing. Well, I didn’t know what it was. I just took a few drinks._

_Years passed with only written messages passing between your mother and me. I was not aging. I tried again to find the fount, but I could not repeat my mistake. So, while I was quite mortal when I met your mother and fell in love with her, I am not any longer. I know you must have felt so much heart ache for her thinking that I was gone. But at last your mother sent word for me to meet her at the oracle’s home, therefore I can write to you. No more are the too brief glimpses of each other and hiding the truth from you._

_Please, try to meet us here so that we can discuss all of this with you. I know you must be feeling all kinds of things like betrayal and hurt. Believe me when I say that we never wanted you to have to deal with those feelings because of something that we did. When you were younger, other witches could have read your mind without your consent and all would be for not and that would have been awful for you as you grew._

_Love always,_

_Your Father_

 

            “Are you going to meet them?” I ask without really wanting to.

            “Of course, I’m sure that we can settle this. However, I won’t be leaving for awhile,” the fury is evident in her voice and the reason for her shaking hands.

            “We are here for you,” Dakota assures our friend.

            “I know. Don’t worry, there will be a happily ever after. I just can’t face them right now. I know I would say something I would regret later,” Jen closes the subject. I guess there really are no definite endings in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


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